QPR has made a notable move to appoint Marti Cifuentes as their new head coach, recruiting him from Hammarby, a club that counts Swedish legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic among its owners. Cifuentes will be taking over from Gareth Ainsworth, who was relieved of his duties following a string of six consecutive losses that left QPR in the 23rd position in the Championship standings. Cifuentes, who had been in charge of the Swedish team for two years, was granted the opportunity to make the move to England thanks to the club’s connection with Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
QPR had considered the possibility of bringing back Neil Warnock to Loftus Road, with the experienced manager having previously led the club to the Premier League.
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However, they opted for Cifuentes, who will commence his tenure as head coach with a match against Rotherham over the weekend.
QPR’s chief executive, Lee Hoos, expressed his delight with the appointment, praising Hammarby for their cooperation in the process. He referred to Cifuentes as an exciting addition and emphasized the importance of having a succession plan in place in football, regardless of the team’s performance. Cifuentes’ name had been on QPR’s radar last summer, but they ultimately hired Michael Beale, who later departed to take charge at Rangers in Scotland.
Cifuentes brings almost a decade of managerial experience, having worked in various countries, including the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. QPR is facing a challenging period, having lost seven of their last nine games and not securing a victory since September 2. The club aims to avoid relegation to League One and has not played in the third tier of English football for nearly two decades. In the previous season, they finished 20th, just six points clear of the drop zone.